Last night for the very first time in what feels like an eternity, I dreamed of a baseball game that didn’t end in disaster.

I dreamed of a baseball game where somehow, my socks actually made their way onto my feet. A game where I did in fact remember to pack my cleats and a game where my glove didn’t just magically disappear. A game where believe it or not, I even managed to make an appearance out onto the field before the game had ended.

I dreamed of a game where I was actually throwing a baseball again; a real life baseball. A game where my glove fitted perfectly on my hand and every now and again, that very same baseball almost magically made its way into my glove.

I dreamed of a game where I was finally back standing on first base picking the ball from in the dirt, screaming in excitement when I realised that somehow I had caught it. A game where not only was I back playing again, but for a brief shining moment I was even back running the bases, a feeling that I haven’t been able to remember in almost three whole years.

I dreamed of a game where for the very first time in what feels like an eternity, everything was exactly how I remembered.

So if what they say about dreams really could be true, if they really are an insight into our subconscious then I can honestly say that I am the happiest girl in the world right now because finally, after all of this time, it appears that mine might actually be starting to believe again; starting to believe that someday soon, the magical feeling of throwing that baseball and running those bases won’t just be something to dream about.

Maybe instead, with just a little bit more time, those wonderful feelings and those endless dreams will somehow find their own way of becoming a reality.

After watching an interview tonight with such an amazingly brave and unbelievably strong couple who sadly, just lost their gorgeous three year old son to Cancer, I found myself feeling overwhelmed by what seemed to be a list of endless, unanswered questions.

How is it possible for something as careless and destructive as Cancer to exist in something so perfectly innocent?

Why is it that so many amazing parents have felt the pain and heartache that accompanies the loss of a child?

Why is it that some of the best parents in this world are forced to say goodbye to their children, while so many seemingly undeserving parents continue to overlook their role in one of life’s greatest blessings?

Why is it that so many beautiful little angels are taken before their time?

Why is it that so many horrific, unexplainable tragedies are ruining the lives of what seem to be truly remarkable people?

It was then, after what seemed to be hours of deep contemplation that it dawned on me; maybe the only logical explanation for all of this was not one of logic at all, maybe it was one of faith.

Maybe the reason that these tragedies continue to happen to the best and most beautiful of this world is because God knows that they are the ones strong enough to handle it. Maybe it’s because he knows that they are the ones brave enough to do something wonderful with the unfortunate cards that they have been dealt, something miraculous even.

Maybe God chooses the people who he knows will be able to pick up the pieces and use their own light to continue on through the darkness. Maybe God chooses these beautiful, blue eyed baby boys because he knows that along with their amazing families, they are the ones who can make a difference in all of this; they are the ones who despite the heartache, can still find a way to inspire the world.

Maybe it’s in the midst of great tragedy, despite our natural instincts to do otherwise, that we need to stay strong in our beliefs. Maybe it’s in those moments that we need to have faith that God only ever gives us what he knows we can handle, because if not for faith then what do we ever really have?

“Kind words may be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

– Mother Theresa

Within just moments of walking into work this morning, an elderly gentleman who to be quite honest had more spirit than Santa Claus, emerged from the back client room with a glowing smile spread across his face. He was full of life and of course, like most men his age, he was quick to make more than his fair share of old fashioned jokes. Jokes which just so happened to have me in absolute fits of laughter, compliments of my ‘laugh at anything’ sense of humour.

Joke after joke he continued to make me chuckle until suddenly, he stopped for a moment. He looked at me again with that same glowing smile spread across his face and in a very polite manner, went on to tell me that he didn’t want me to be at all embarrassed but that he felt as though he needed to tell me something. Expecting yet another one of his famous jokes, his sincerity in the comments that followed had somehow managed to catch me completely off guard. Much to my surprise, what came next was not at all the joke that I had been expecting, but was instead one of the most genuine, heartfelt compliments that I think I have ever received, quite possibly in all of my life.

There he was, a complete stranger with nothing to gain, telling me that I had the most beautiful, infectious, enchanting smile that he had seen in many, many years. He told me that he was the type of man who gave credit where credit was due and that according to him, I was absolutely gorgeous and that I had just made his day. Words that despite sounding slightly cliche right now, were spoken in the most honest and sincere tone that I have ever come across.

Before leaving, he again complimented me on my smile and with a cheeky little grin beginning to set upon his face, asked if he could please have just one more for the road. Then just like that he was gone, leaving behind one very, very happy girl who was shown for the second time this month just how long the kind words of a stranger can linger. Kind words that although may have been completely unexpected, made more of an impacted than I ever could have imagined.

So while at first glance, it may have seemed that my smile had somehow managed to brighten his day, what he didn’t realise was that he too had managed to brighten mine.

Right now in this very moment, life is happening. It may not be the life that you’ve always imagined or the life that you’ve always dreamed of, but you are alive and that in itself is a miracle, so embrace it.

Start living in the moment.

Start smiling at strangers and start telling the people that you care about how you really feel. Stop measuring your own self worth by the pressures of ‘who you think you should be’ and ‘what you think you should look like’ and start appreciating the beautiful person that you are, flaws and all.

Throw away the clock and lose all track of time. Take a day to stop and smell the roses. Start doing all of those things that you’ve always wanted to do, all of those things that make you happy.

Read a book from front to back with no interruptions. Eat cupcakes all day and play your favourite music far too loud. Write a love letter and seal it with a kiss. Stop questioning the bad things that may have happened in your life and start focusing on all of the good things that are yet to come.

All of that anger and all of that resentment that you’ve been feeling, take a deep breath and let it all go. Take off your shoes and walk through the sand. Scream out loud and dance up a storm. Dream your dreams and start believing that without a doubt they are possible, each and every single one of them.

Don’t be afraid to fall in love, the kind of love that makes it hard to breathe. Find someone who makes you happy and hold onto them.

Roast marshmallows and sleep under the stars. Save all of your money and plan a trip around the world. Take photo’s of the good times and cherish them forever. Appreciate old friends and when given the opportunity, try your best to make new ones.

If something is out of your control, do your best not to dwell on the possibilities. Have faith that at the end of the day, whatever is meant to be will be.

Buy a puppy and learn the magic of unconditional love. Send flowers to a stranger, just because you can. Sip tea and take a moment to remember the good old days.

Thank your parents, they’re the reason that you’re here. Tell yourself that you are beautiful, over and over again until you believe it. Compliment a stranger and mean every word that you say. Tell someone that you miss them. Listen to the sound of the rain. Catch a butterfly.

Don’t believe everything that you hear, question life and everything that goes along with it. Have the courage to form your own opinions.

Climb to the top of a mountain and appreciate the beauty of perspective. Stay up all night and then sleep all day. Allow yourself to be inspired and do your best to inspire others. Face your fears. Paint a picture and fill your life with colours.

Walk through a field of bright green grass and spend the day searching for that magical four leaf clover. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Smile, just because you can and sing at a karaoke bar without feeling even slightly embarrassed.

Disregard expectations; do what you want to do and be who you want to be. Bake all day and eat all night. Try something new. Make an idiot out of yourself. Kiss in the rain and jump through the puddles. Make a snowman and then eat his little carrot nose.

Be spontaneous and take the day off work. Drive to the middle of nowhere, just to watch the clouds pass you by. Look at the world through the eyes of a child, simply to remember the magic. Appreciate the little things. Watch the birds fly. Breathe deeply, smile often and laugh uncontrollably.

Live a life that fifty years from now you can look back on smiling, knowing that without a doubt, you took every single opportunity that you were given to make your life unforgettable.

————-

Every day that we wake up, we are given a second chance to see the world for exactly what it is; a wildly beautiful opportunity to do anything that we want to do and be anyone who we want to be. A chance to make a difference.

So tell me, when the sun comes up tomorrow morning, what exactly are you going to do with your second chance?

Valentines Day; a day that I have been lucky enough to have spent with the most amazing boy that I have ever met, for the last four years in a row. Today however, things were a little bit different.

Instead of spending the day in the arms of my amazingly beautiful boyfriend, smiling, laughing, being absolutely spoilt rotten and falling even more in love than I already have, we found ourselves taking a rain check on the romantics of it all and spending our days at work, missing each other even more than usual.

Surprisingly though, even more surprising than the fact that I actually spend some of my days working now, was the wonderful mood that I woke up in, despite the fact that my Valentines Day was missing a fairly important part – my Valentine.

Despite the fact that I woke up with far too much room on the right side of my bed instead of being wrapped up tightly in his arms, to a clock that read 8:00am instead of my usual 9:30am and a race against time to not be late for work, I actually ended up having quite an amazing day. Possibly even more amazing than I had expected.

I still woke up to one million and one beautiful text messages from the boy who stole my heart and despite the fact that I was spending Valentines Day without him, I still felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

I still went about my day in the same way that I would any other and despite the fact that I spent my morning at work, I still found myself having a wonderful time. So wonderful in fact, that for the very first time since I started working I received a beautiful compliment from one of our clients; a compliment that not only made my whole entire day, but one that just so happened to make that early morning smile of mine grow just that little bit bigger.

A smile which after arriving home and hearing a quiet little knock on the door, grew even bigger again after I received the biggest surprise of all. There they were, twelve beautiful, breathtaking red roses, from that very same boy who came along and stole my heart. A boy who every time without fail, knows just how to brighten my day.

So while today I realised yet again that I am madly, head over heels in love with the most amazing boy in the whole entire world, the realisations went beyond February 14th.

Today I realised that while it may often be the ones we love most who tend to surprise us, sometimes it’s those people who we’ve never met before who have that very same impact. Sometimes the people who come along and brighten our day aren’t always the people we expected.

Today I realised that whether it’s February 14th, April 29th or November 6th, if you approach the world with a smile on your face, chances are, the world will find a way to smile back at you.

Sitting there in front of the computer, staring at a screen that had somehow just brought my wildest dreams to life in a matter of seconds, I found myself completely and utterly lost for words.

“Upgrade to VIP Tickets, including a ‘meet and greet’ with Rascal Flatts”

 Surely I was dreaming, I had to be dreaming.

Sure enough though, after wiping my eyes and reading that very sentence at least twenty times over, I came to the conclusion that I was not at all dreaming. I was in fact very, very much awake and this was very much reality.

As I sat there daydreaming, trying to process what exactly had just happened, it seemed that a flood of emotions had somewhat hit me all at once. Within a matter of seconds, tears were welling in my eyes and the sheer excitement that I was now feeling had reached a whole new level, it was like nothing I had ever felt before. Words could not even begin to describe it.

Twenty-one years of living and this was the very first time in my whole entire life that I had ever even come close to crying from excitement; this was obviously a pretty big deal. As you can imagine however, I did what any twenty-one year old girl would do. I quickly hid the tears, pulled myself together and acted as though I wasn’t about to breakdown in tears of excitement at any given moment.

When it comes to the real deal though, the moment when I am standing there face to face with Rascal Flatts themselves, I doubt very much that I will be able to hold it together at all.

I would say that odds are, screams will escape my mouth, tears will flow down my face and the whole world will know exactly how excited I am, because as far as memories in life go, I am fairly certain that this is going to be one of the magical ones. One of the ones that twenty years from now, I will still remember just like it were yesterday.

I must admit though, when I said that 2013 was going to be a good year, I never for a second expected that it was going to be this good. Just two months in and already, some of my wildest dreams are finding a way of coming true.

Life, you truly are wonderful.

After four years of constant complaints about spending too much time up in Brisbane and not enough time down at the Gold Coast, I finally decided that enough was enough.

I decided that I would book a beautiful hotel for the night, drive down after work on Friday afternoon, stop in at my amazing boyfriends house to pack a few things on the way, check into our hotel and then show up out the front of his work just before he finished so that I could watch those baby blue eyes of his light up like fireworks.

I had imagined it in my mind at least a million times over. Watching that adorable little surprised look spread across his beautiful face as I walked through that door unexpectedly; even just the thought alone was enough to give me butterflies.

Unfortunately though, despite my best efforts, things didn’t quite end up going according to plan.

Firstly, apparently the decision to drive myself to the Gold Coast for the very first time straight after my first official day of work, wasn’t such a ‘smart’ idea after all. According to the official joint parenting opinion, after having spent a little over a year physically unable to drive, a few weeks of driving back and forth from our local shopping centre wasn’t considered enough ‘experience’ for such a journey. So just like that, my ‘grown-up’ surprise was now something that was ‘under parental supervision’, an additional bonus that despite my disappointment, was probably a much safer option.

Secondly, those of you who already know me would probably be aware that time management is definately not one of my strong points. So really, planning a surprise that involved arriving at a specific location at an exact time was just asking for trouble. Especially when you take into consideration the infamous Murphy’s Law; something that I definately did not account for.

So there I was, standing outside the lovely little Yoghurt City at exactly 5:04pm, with my boyfriend nowhere in sight. It had seemed that the very same boy who has never once left on time on a Friday afternoon, had decided that the single one occassion that I had decided to surprise him would be the perfect time to start.

All of those secrets and all of that planning and instead of seeing that beautiful face of his light up like fireworks, I was left standing in the middle of Cavil Avenue like a lost little puppy, with no choice other than to call him and confess and just like that, the perfect surprise was officially ruined.

Luckily though, despite the plan falling apart in the last five minutes, his baby blue eyes still sparkled like crazy when he found me, he still picked me up and spun me around the same way that they do in all of my favourite movies and we still had an amazing night in a breathtakingly beautiful hotel.

So all things included, for a girl who is unbelievably disorganised, can’t keep a secret to save herself and is never, ever on time for anything, going by the smiles on both of our faces come the end of the weekend, I would say that despite a few minor details this secret little surprise was well and truly a success.